Skipi Geo

This map shows part of the north-west sea-coast parish of Birsay. Skipi Geo can be seen as a deep inlet to the north-west.

It's Norse origin is found in skipa-gjá - ships' geo (inlet). It is an ancient boat shelter, the boat huts having been restored for the public to poke about in and wonder at.

Hillquoy, my paternal grandmother's childhood home, is an example of a relatively modern 'quoy' placename. Quoy is from ON kví, meaning, simply, enclosure or field. Here, a modern English element 'hill' has been prefixed to an anglicsed Old Norse term.


click here to see a Stan Shepherd picture of the geo's whalebone totem

or here to see an 1822 map of the area